WASHINGTON — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will lead the Obama Administration’s Rural Tour.
Over the next several months, Vilsack will be joined by top administration officials at discussions throughout the country about how the USDA and other federal agencies are working to strengthen rural America.
Vilsack and Vice President Joe Biden kicked off the Rural Tour in Wattsburg, Pa., July 1.
Issues
During the Rural Tour, Vilsack will discuss USDA’s efforts expand economic opportunities in rural communities, update critical infrastructure like health clinics, schools, police stations and wastewater systems, and improve the quality-of-life for the Americans who live, work and raise a family in rural communities.
The participation of other top administration officials in the Rural Tour, and the variety of topics that will be addressed reflects the array of issues facing rural America, including broad-based rural health, economic development, infrastructure, education, energy, natural resources, and agriculture.
Locations
Events will be held in Alaska, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Planned Rural Tour events in the Northeast and Midwest include:
July 16: Secretaries Tom Vilsack, Gary Locke and Ray LaHood will travel to La Crosse, Wis., to discuss rural economic development.
July 18: Secretaries Tom Vilsack and Steven Chu will travel to Ringgold, Va., to discuss green jobs and a new energy economy, with a focus on weatherization and carbon sequestration.
Aug. 16: Secretaries Tom Vilsack and Ken Salazar will travel to Zanesville, Ohio, to discuss green jobs and a new energy economy, with a focus on renewable energies.
More details on the Rural Tour will be released as they become available.
